This invention is directed to devices for switching high voltages, and in particular, to rail gap switching devices triggered by a source of coherent UV radiation.
In order to switch high voltages from a low impedance pulse forming network into a rare gas halide laser discharge or other similar low impedance load, a low jitter, low inductance switching device is required. Present switching devices used in such applications include pressurized surface gaps, edge plane rail gaps with gas or liquid dielectric and electrically triggered rail gaps. However, for low jitter operation, both the surface gap and the edge plane rail gap require very rapid charging rates while the electrically triggered rail gap requires extremely fast high voltage trigger pulses.
UV-controlled switching devices are described in publication by Laird P. Bradley in the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, September 1971, p. 464, and in the J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 43, No. 3, March 1972, p. 886-890. This type of device directs UV radiation between two discrete electrodes to control breakdown, however, this device is not satisfactory when multichannel, low inductance switching is required.